How to Create a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden
There are many advantages to planting your crops in a raised bed vegetable garden, but the idea of building one of these structures can be an intimidating one. Where do you begin? There are many ways to create one of these structures that will allow your plants to grow in ideal conditions. You can choose to construct your walls out of wood, railroad ties, or landscaping stone. You can make your structure free standing or you can place it against a fence or the side of your house. Your choice will depend largely upon your own preferences and what will look and work best in your yard.
Step One: Finding a Spot
The first step in creating your raised bed vegetable garden will be to select a location. This is an important consideration, since it is unlikely that your structure will be very portable. Choose a spot that gets plenty of sun and will be easy and convenient for you to access. Many gardeners will choose to till the soil a bit before building the walls of the bed, to ensure that crops like root vegetables will have plenty of room to thrive.
Step Two: Choosing a Material
As we mentioned earlier, the material that you use for your raised bed vegetable garden can vary widely. The main factor to consider is whether the substance that you choose is nontoxic, so that the walls will not affect your soil or crops in a negative way. This means that the wood you choose for your raised bed should be untreated, but you are not limited to wood choices. You can also use cinder blocks, landscaping stone, bricks or fiberglass. It all depends on how much work and cost you want to put into building your raised bed vegetable garden and how decorative you want the area to be.
Step Three: Add your Soil
To ensure that you will have enough good soil for your crops, make sure the walls of your raised bed vegetable garden are between 12 and 16 inches high. If you are building your walls out of wood, it is a good idea to reinforce the corners with metal brackets to ensure that you soil will stay inside. The next step is to fill your structure with a high quality mix of planting soil and compost. Avoid using regular soil from your yard, since this will defeat the purpose of creating the best environment for your plants. Once your bed is filled, you are ready to sow your seeds and prepare for the bumper crop that is to come. Happy gardening!
